Four

"Where'd Ro…Dr. Scorpio go?" Patrick asked Epiphany. He was trying, and failing, to sound nonchalant.

"Dr. Scorpio's more rambunctious roommate dragged her out of here. Party planning." Epiphany sniffed. In Epiphany's opinion Dr. Kelly Lee needed to chill out and focus more on work and less on men. She didn't juggle the two interests as well as the Doctors Drake. But she made Dr. Scorpio smile so Epiphany gave her some leeway.

"Dr. Scorpio is having a party?" Patrick put the Krakauer file down and leaned his hip on the counter. For the first time in days his face broke out into a big smile.

"And you think you're going to be invited after how you treated that girl?" Epiphany scoffed.

"What party would be complete without me?" Patrick bit his lip and batted his long eyelashes.

"Leave the woman alone if you have no intention of following through." Epiphany pointed at him threateningly. "I saw you go running last time. Hurt her again and this time I trip you on your way out."

Patrick smiled winningly and walked over and pressed a kiss to Epiphany's cheek. Then he strode off, whistling.

"I guess it's going to be a big, fat, beautiful day again soon." Epiphany pursed her lips, shook her head and got back to work.

"Well, well, well. Look what the cat dragged in," Kelly drawled as she hung onto the edge of the door and looked Patrick up and down looking for weak spots.

"Retract the claws and let the man in," Lainey called out from the kitchen where she and Robin were unpacking the supplies for the party that Robin and Kelly had picked up.

"Fine." Kelly sighed and opened the door. She eyed Patrick warily as he strode past her.

Robin wiped her hand on a kitchen towel and walked out to meet them. "Is that the Krakauer file? Sorry, I missed you at the hospital. I got, uh, waylaid." Robin held her hand out for the file. Her heart was pounding as he walked closer and stood near her in her new home.

"I understand. I take my party planning very seriously." Patrick handed over the file and walked, uninvited, around Robin into the kitchen to look at what the ladies had purchased. He made a lot of approving and disapproving noises as he inspected the stash, his eyes darting over to Robin every few seconds.

Robin was sitting on a stool at the kitchen counter trying to focus on the file and ignore his show, but her eyes kept getting drawn back to him chatting with her roommates and juggling with their paper cups and other party supplies.

"So, when's this party and what should I wear?" Patrick asked.

Robin's head snapped up and she frowned at him, then at her roommates who clearly were not about to dissuade him.

"Friday night. Anytime after eight," Kelly said, ignoring Robin's squeaking protest. "But you can come earlier if you help us pick up the refreshments. We need a big strong man to carry stuff."

Robin rolled her eyes at Kelly's blatant use of flirting to get a strong back to help. "The three of us have it under control," Robin said coolly.

"It's no problem to help out three lovely ladies. What do you need? Ice, beer, mixers, soda? A sexy bartender?"

"We put in an order at Discount Beverages. All you need to do it pick it up. It includes ice," Lainey said. "We'd really appreciate the help."

"My pleasure. Why don't you give me a call when you're done reviewing that file, Dr. Scorpio." He sauntered around the counter and leaned into Robin's personal space. "I'm available to answer any questions you might have. You have my number." He leaned in closer, as if he was going to kiss her, but instead of pressing her lips to hers he turned his head at the last moment and whispered in her ear. "I made sure this included the most recent lab results." He winked and headed towards the door. "Hot pad, ladies. See you Friday." He closed the door behind him.

Robin turned and nailed her roommates with a glare. Her breathing was shallow and her heart was threatening to pound its way out of her chest. "How could you invite him?" She demanded. She had been sure he was going to kiss her. Worse, rather than kicking him like she should have, she wanted him to. And now he was not only coming to, but helping with their party. She was going to crumble, she knew it and then she'd right back where she started two weeks ago. Falling in love and then left in the dust.

"How could we not? He knew about it. He offered to help." Lainey looked sympathetic, but she also shrugged.

"We promised that this wouldn't be one of those Port Charles parties where people we don't even like or really know are invited!" Robin threw her hands in the air.

"We've invited practically everyone from two hospitals, it would be weird if he was the only person not invited," Kelly defended, her vamp act vanishing along with Patrick.

"That kind of weird I could have dealt with. I'm going to go review this file." Robin stood up and went into her room.

Kelly and Lainey stood quietly until they heard her door close. "So, Dr., why do you think he showed up and invited himself to the party?" Kelly asked quietly.

"Because he's still hung up on Robin and wants her back," Lainey said. "I just don't know if he's playing for keeps or just sex. Obviously he has feelings, I just don't know if he's ready to do anything about them yet."

"If he hurts her again no one will be able to find the body."

"I'll help."

"Mission accomplished." Patrick was satisfied, but, he admitted as he walked back to the hospital, he also felt uneasy.

It wasn't the threatening looks of Robin's roommates, the words her father had with him, his father's disappointed looks or Epiphany's threats that made him uneasy, it was his own reaction to Robin's nearness. The thing was he wasn't supposed to have a reaction. He was supposed to get a rise out of her and somehow get her to respond to him so that they could get their strictly platonic relationship back on track. But friendly was not how he felt when his lips almost brushed hers a few moments ago. He hadn't even intended to get that close; it had been an automatic gesture in response to her scent and the heat of her nearness.

He slid his hands into the pockets of his slacks and took a turn towards the docks. He stood looking out over the dark waters of the river as his mind took an uncharacteristically inward looking turn. He had missed her, he admitted now. Not just in his bed, that he couldn't have fooled even himself about after nights of tossing and turning, but in his life. He closed his eyes and blew out a breath before he could start listing the things about her he missed.

Behind his lids flashed the image of Robin's dark eyes. He could see the shocked hurt in them from when he had called things off. He could see the tears that made her eyes shimmer. And he could see the sadness and conflict in them that he saw tonight. All of those images cut him to the quick. He had assumed that stepping back would make it all go away, that he wouldn't hurt her. That he wouldn't want her so much. It wasn't working out that way.

Wanted or not there was an emotional bond. There were, as Dr. Robin Scorpio diagnosed, feelings. Whether or not he did it, whether or not it was what he was about, he needed to have her back. And in order to do that he'd have to reconsider his no-strings policy. And convince Robin to give him another shot.

He didn't know which would be harder to accomplish.

TBC